Steven Winn

A couple of standout artists from the 2024 class of the Merola Opera Program shine bright in this season-ending showcase.

The cellist’s brief but brilliant career is captured in soprano Marnie Breckenridge’s stunning performance for West Edge Opera.

Performances of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time and George Crumb’s Black Angels highlight the final festival program.

The company’s current production of Otto Nicolai’s 1849 singspiel might have just a little too much of everything.

Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade’s richly imagined production is a visual feast, though sometimes at the cost of the music and the action.

The composer has again teamed up with librettist Gene Scheer for this latest commission from the Seattle-based Music of Remembrance.

Tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Mitsuko Uchida bring both the perspectives and limitations of maturity to Schubert’s song cycle.

The group delivers an emotional performance, with outstanding soloists and a superb contribution from the Cantorei.

There’s always a chance you’ll be hearing more of these works in progress in one of the company’s seasons to come.

The SF Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen also present a cheerful romp through Stravinsky’s neoclassical ballet Pulcinella.